A trio of new dessert destinations have debuted on the Beijing food scene. One is pricey, one is cheap, and the other is beautiful enough to give your Instagram followers a sugar rush through pictures alone. Read on below for all the sweet details.

Ben Bakery
Ben Bakery specializes in Swiss rolls and its staff work hard to broaden any preconceived notions you may otherwise have about them, which culminates in their zoo series complete with cutesy giraffe, cow, leopard, and reindeer patterns. The latter is essentially a red velvet flavored roll that makes its own mark with pieces of orange and cream cheese, giving it a decidedly local twist.

They also make matcha varieties, which at RMB 35 a slice, may be the most expensive in Beijing and a sweet way to burn a hole in your wallet. That sentiment was furthered by the flavor, which fell heavily on the bitter and smoky side, sure to make it a winner for Chinese customers who can be known to be adverse to anything overly sugary. The filling was smooth and, again not missing the opportunity to add a dose of local flavor, featured red bean for texture. Finally, the durian Swiss roll (RMB 25 a slice) was creamy and suitably punchy but its sponge cake was not solid enough to maintain its round shape.

Daily 10am-10pm. B1, E2, Oriental Plaza, 1 Dongchanganjie, Dongcheng District (188 0122 1349)
晓本烘焙蛋糕卷：东城区东长安街1号E2东方新天地B1

Nchoix
Next up, Nchoix, nested in the bustling basement of China Central Place, probably provides the cheapest pastries in the CBD area. Indeed, their RMB 2.5-5 small pastry range will make you wonder if you’ve magically traveled back in time by a decade or so.

Their RMB 14 “dirty bun” (powdered croissant, more on those here) might be the cheapest in Beijing. It is available in matcha and artificial green tea flavor with, again, a red bean filling. The chocolate croissant, meanwhile, was covered with a layer of chocolate, then dusted with cocoa powder. Yes, it was not as good as the original (and more expensive) dirty bun at Bad Farmers Our Bakery, but how bad could it be?

“Dirty bun”, or “powdered croissant” (RMB 14)

One downside of unbeatable prices is that two-thirds of the pastries were out of stock. The RMB 5 cinnamon roll, the cheapest we’ve seen in years, was surprisingly good and comes packed with abundant sweetness and caramelized almond slices sprinkled on top. Nchoix also offers a variety of pasta and salads at humble prices, making it a more than a solid spot for anyone with a sweet tooth and a tight budget.

Daily 10am-10pm. b120b, China Central Place, 81 Jianguo Lu, Chaoyang District (5363 5118)
意食界: 朝阳区建国路81号华贸购物中心b120b

Coops Natural Bakery
Located in Sanlitun Soho, Coops might be the biggest addition to Sanlitun Soho as of late, offering healthy chiffon cakes and bread. Sporting the slogan “wake up naturally,” Coops claims to only use high-quality natural ingredients to make its daily-baked cakes, and comes in minimalist white and grey design. Grab one their 10 varieties of Chinese-twist chiffon cakes (yam balls, anyone?), fruit teas (RMB 18-28), or colorful loafs.

The matcha and black sesame cake (RMB 38)

At RMB 38, the matcha and black sesame cake is certainly not the cheapest in town but you get what you pay for, its four layers of cake and three layers of mousse providing thick and rich texture as well as a bitter hit of matcha in every bite and an added sweetness from the black sesame.

The purple potato and cheese bread (RMB 18)

The offbeat option of purple potato and cheese bread (RMB 18) lives up to its name and comes with a purple exterior courtesy of the purple sweet potato and a cheese filling that was soft and lacking any hint of sweetness. Maybe not the best bread we’ve tried, but truly one of a kind. Head in at any time of the day and you’re sure to see their target customers – pretty, young females – flock in and out with cakes in hand and their best selfie faces at the ready.

Daily 9am-10pm. 1-101, Bldg A, Sanlitun Soho, Gongti Beilu, Chaoyang District (8590 0365)
自然醒：朝阳区工人体育场北路三里屯sohoA座1-101

Photos: Tracy Wang, Dazhong Dianping

I recall reading a news story not too long ago about a young student who won a world prize for having built many scenes of major complicated historical moments with Lego blocks. It made me realize that Lego block are  not just simple blocks for simple play as traditional building blocks. Some extraordinary ideas must lie behind it.

On Saturday, I found this Lego Education After School Center at Shunyi’s Shine City while touring around there. Things there are tidy and organized with friendly staff members. A group of young kids, accompanied by adults, were in the middle of fun building activity.

Being the only Lego authorized partner in China, the center based their philosophy on the belief of “learning through playing” and aims to provide children the opportunity to learn verbal expression, cooperation, hand-eye coordination, observation, special comprehension, and logical thinking.

Some interesting activities include the “Secret Agent”, “Survival on a Deserted Island”, “Story of a Circus”, as well as those research-oriented games, such as “Structure and Power”, “Mechanics”, “Energy World”, and “Robot Series”. A wide range of problem-solving programs, such as “Police Dog School” and “Robot Olympics” or “Robot Competition” certainly attract children, especially boys!

Although I’m not a fan of building with legos myself, I’m still amazed to see what children can do with these small or big blocks to come up with vivid animal or story scenes. Who knows, maybe one day, another super smart child will think of another amazing project with Lego blocks and win another world prize. But the bottom line is that kids in Shunyi (especially who live close to the Shine City) have this dedicated place to visit for fun and learning.

Lesson prices range from RMB 5,040 for 24 lessons/half a year or RMB 8,640 for 48 lessons/one year. Playing in the activity area is free for members and RMB 50 each time for non-members outside of peak hours. Room 108, Building 13, Shine City South District, 6 An Tai Street, Shunyi District. (8047 8559)

With Dunkin Donuts on the brink of making its triumphant return to Beijing after an absence of 15 years, we here at the Beijinger have been waiting with anticipation. Originally scheduled to start welcoming customers just before Spring Festival, the first shops (in Changping, Shunyi, and Wangjing) are now slated to open either at the end of this month or some time in early March.

Eighteen varieties of donuts will be sold when they finally do swing open those doors for real, but the question we just could not wait to have answered was: will the local donuts taste just like home for us DD fans? And perhaps more pertinent to the long-range prospects for the brand, will Chinese people go for it this time around?

Using a few back-channel connections we discovered that Dunkins has been training its staff on the ins and outs of donut making here in Beijing for months, which meant a daily surplus of donuts with no sales outlet. The good folks over at the training kitchen were kind enough to give us one of their fresh batches to put to the test.

We assembled a panel of six foreigners and six Chinese, to taste all 18 varieties and rank them from their least to their most favorite.

Panelists tasted and rated each of the pastries on four qualities: the consistency of the product (the dough, the topping, the filling); the flavor accuracy (did the chocolate taste like chocolate? Did the blueberry like blueberries?);  the overall taste; and, if the panelist was familiar with the original Dunkin Donuts from the US, the authenticity of the product. Each taster tried the donuts in a randomized order to prevent palate fatigue,

Here we present our findings, counting down from the least to the most favorite of the 18. The donuts are listed according to the average ranking of all 12 members of the panel. To tease out foreign versus local tastes, we also list the rankings for the Chinese half of the panel and the foreign half.

18. Smile
Foreign Rank: 17; Chinese Rank: 14
This banana cream-filled creation with a banana-flavored topping came in last, putting off tasters from both sides of the aisle. Points off for the brittle coating that easily fell off the delicate donut upon biting, and the banana flavoring that tasters found artificial. However, some of our tasters loved it, finding it cute and unique among the other flavors.

17. Boston Crème
Foreign Rank: 9; Chinese Rank: 18
This classic cream-filled, chocolate-coated donut did not fare well overall. Fans of the hometown version will find the dark chocolate coating not sweet enough and too waxy, while the filling lacked the vanilla taste of its American cousin. However, the tasters that did like this one appreciated the fact that both filling and topping were less sweet than US Boston crèmes.

16. Strawberry Frosted
Foreign Rank: 13; Chinese Rank: 16
This strawberry-topped cake donut looks the part – it’s the classic Homer Simpson donut with sprinkles – but tasters found its strawberry flavor artificial and its coating too waxy, which meant pieces of the topping broke off with each bite. Fans praised its strong strawberry essence and cute appearance.

15. Chocolate
Foreign Rank: 11; Chinese Rank: 13
This plain, unglazed chocolate cake donut failed to stand out to many of our panelists. Chinese tasters likened it to a mildly chocolate-flavored mantou, while fans of DD from the US found it not sweet enough for their liking. Fans praised its simplicity and the soft richness of the not-too-sweet chocolate cake base.

14. Blueberry
Foreign Rank: 12; Chinese Rank: 10
Tasters praised the strong blueberry essence of this jam-filled donut, though Chinese tasters tended to think the filling was too sweet. DD fans found it to be a fairly accurate rendition of the US version, and some claimed to have tasted actual blueberry fruit in the filling.

13. Strawberry  
Foreign Rank: 7; Chinese Rank: 15
While fans called this one “perfect” and loved the strawberry filling, others claimed it was not as authentic a fruit taste as its blueberry cousin and the sweetness of the jam overwhelmed any strawberry taste.

12. Milk Cream
Foreign Rank: 16; Chinese Rank: 5
This lightly sweet, cream-filled donut was one of three donuts that strongly polarized the panel, with foreigners ranking it quite low and Chinese ranking it high. Foreigners found the filling lacked sweetness or a distinct flavor; Chinese praised it for the very same reason, enjoying the light, creamy filling and finding the overall package not overwhelmingly sweet. Half of the Chinese panelists ranked this donut among their four favorites.

11. Peanut Crunch
Foreign Rank: 14; Chinese Rank: 9
One of two savory donuts that make it on to the Beijing Dunkin Donuts menu, the Peanut Crunch was ranked high by Chinese panelists for its fresh peanut flavor. However, foreigners expected more of a sweet, peanut buttery taste and were surprised to find it on the salty side. Panelists both foreign and Chinese appreciated the coarse nature of the peanut pieces, which gave the donut a markedly different mouth feel than the rest.

10. White Chocolate
Foreign Rank: 10; Chinese Rank: 8
Another polarizing choice that defied Chinese/Foreign divides, with tasters on both sides either loving or hating this confection. Featuring a white chocolate frosting and chocolate sprinkles over a chocolate cake donut, the White Chocolate was ranked in the top four by one foreign and one Chinese taster, while others gave it generally lower standing. Those that did love it noted the unique white chocolate topping in a field of mostly dark chocolate coatings that provided a nice contrast with the chocolate cake base.

9. Original Cake
Foreign Rank: 6; Chinese Rank: 11
This rendition of one of Dunkin Donuts’ originals stays true to its taste back home. Soft, moist, and delicately spiced without any overpowering fillings or toppings, it’s perfect for dunking in coffee, said our panelists.

8. Marble
Foreign Rank: 8; Chinese Rank: 4
A slightly misnamed donut, as it’s not much more than a Chocolate Frosted with a decorative swizzle of white topping. The topping is markedly less sweet and somewhat more waxy and brittle than its American counterpart. Nevertheless, the Chinese side of the panel liked it enough to give this pastry a fourth overall ranking.

7. Sugar Raised
Foreign Rank: 15; Chinese Rank: 3
This cake donut has a light dusting of sugar. Foreigners found the dough soft and airy but the sugar coating was not quite sweet enough and too grainy as a consequence of using fine granulated sugar rather than powdered sugar. Chinese reactions included that it was not too sweet, placing it it the third best donut overall.

6. Chocolate Frosted
Foreign Rank: 5; Chinese Rank: 7
A heavy, dark chocolate flavor permeates this local version of the classic Chocolate Frosted, and rainbow sprinkles complete the deal. Rankings were dependent on if you enjoy a darker, more bitter chocolate flavor; self-professed dark chocolate fans loved this donut, whereas those used to the sweeter taste of its American doppelganger were less thrilled with this entry.

5. Cinnamon Cake
Foreign Rank: 3; Chinese Rank: 17
The authentic flavor of this classic powdered donut propelled it to the number five slot on the overall rankings, with one foreign taster saying it was right out of his 1970s American childhood. A moist cake base here is complemented with a light coating of sweetened cinnamon powder. More interestingly, this was the only donut on the panel that foreigners loved and Chinese people hated, with foreigners ranking it as the third best of the bunch while Chinese rated it second-to-last.

4. Pork Floss
Foreign Rank: 18; Chinese Rank: 1
Savory dried pork is employed for this decidedly not sweet donut that panelists agree would never fly in Dunkin Donuts’ home country. However, the Chinese side liked this donut the best, praising the texture and balance of the donut with its unusual, slightly salty topping. The most polarizing donut of the entire field, with Chinese rating it Number 1 overall whereas foreigners rated it dead last.

3. Glazed
Foreign Rank: 1; Chinese Rank: 12
The foreign panel chose this one as the top donut overall. One of the most authentic of the entire field, it featuring a classic, sticky-sweet topping over an airy raised donut base. “I died and went to donut heaven,” said one foreign panelist. The Chinese side found it on the overly sweet side.

2. Death by Chocolate
Foreign Rank: 2; Chinese Rank: 6
True love knows no boundaries, and chocolate lovers both Chinese and foreign gave high rankings to this unique concoction with a three-pronged chocolate attack: a rich chocolate filling, a chocolate coating, and chocolate shavings on top. A less sweet dark chocolate tinge to all three prevents it from becoming too sweet to handle.

1. Almond Choco Crunch
Foreign Rank: 4; Chinese Rank: 2
The surprise overall winner had a universal appeal that remains unsurpassed, and is the only flavor to receive a top four ranking by both Chinese (2) and foreign (4) panelists. The contrast of the crunchy almond slivers, the rich, dark chocolate topping and the soft dough of the donut base shot this one to the top of the overall rankings.

Final Foreign Rankings:
1. Glazed
2. Death by Chocolate
3. Cinnamon Cake
4. Almond Choco Crunch
5. Chocolate Frosted
6. Original Cake
7. Strawberry  
8. Marble
9. Boston Crème
10. White Chocolate
11. Chocolate
12. Blueberry
13. Strawberry Frosted
14. Peanut Crunch
15. Sugar Raised
16. Milk Cream
17. Smile
18. Pork Floss

Final Chinese Rankings:
1. Pork Floss
2. Almond Choco Crunch
3. Sugar Raised
4. Marble
5. Milk Cream
6. Death by Chocolate
7. Chocolate Frosted
8. White Chocolate
9. Peanut Crunch
10. Blueberry
11. Original Cake
12. Glazed
13. Chocolate
14. Smile
15. Strawberry  
16. Strawberry Frosted
17. Cinnamon Cake
18. Boston Crème

This post was first posted on thebeijinger.com on February 22, 2016.

Photos: Michael Wester

When we’re not out galivanting about town, lunches in the Beijinger office often come from our favorite dumpling delivery service, Green Bites. We happen to be just around the corner from the World City location but now upper east siders can get their dumpling fix as well at Green Bites’ new location in Indigo Mall (the restaurant is a little hard to find – look on the third floor near the children’s play area).

Green Bites offers a range of steamed dumplings to dine-in or take away, and are known for their "healthy" take on these carbie treats – less oil, less preservatives, organic ingredients where possible. The Beijinger team are big fans of the pork and green bean dumplings (RMB 23) with spicy peanut dipping sauce, and the bright green beef and water chestnut dumplings (RMB 26), where the wrappers colored with fresh spinach juice. 

Those even further north can order from Green Bites’ Wangjing location, in Kirin Place.

All three Green Bites locations offer free delivery within 2km for orders over RMB 30 (RMB 7 delivery fee otherwise). Scan their English menu here and order via their hotline on 4009 584 394 or via their easy-to-navigate WeChat ID: Green_Bites (both Chinese only). Choose to pay cash on delivery or with WeChat wallet.

This post first appeared on thebeijinger.com on October 15, 2015

Like so many parents in Beijing, Liu Yue was disappointed with play areas for kids like Fundazzle and those ones in the middle of shopping malls. Sure, the kids have fun, but there is nothing for the parents to do. Unlike most parents, Liu Yue decided to do something about it. The result of her hard work and creativity is Lazyroo Kids Café in Wangjing.

Lazyroo offers kids a safe, fun, and even educational play environment while the café serves up meals, drinks, and WiFi so that parents can relax, get a bite to eat, and even get some work done. The café offers up a wide range of food options and beverages and even has DIY pizzas and a juice area for kids to make their own fresh-squeezed drinks. There is a tri-level climbing structure with slides and a ball pit, interlocking foam blocks, a reading area with English and Chinese books, a pellet box (think sandbox without the mess), games, and an X-box.

Liu Yue didn’t leave anything to change. Lazyroo has its own bathrooms with kid-sized toilets and sinks, changing tables in both the men and women’s bathrooms. There is a cozy room for nursing mothers who wish privacy. I also noticed about half a dozen Blueair filters on both floors.

Lazyroo is open seven days a week from 10.00-21.00 on weekdays and 9.30-21.30 on weekends. Admission is RMB 80 per child during the week and RMB130 on weekends and holidays for three hours of play-time. Membership cards are available with the benefit of 10-30% discount on entry depending on which membership you buy.

A-2F,Wangjing Commecial Centre, No.9 Wangjing Street 北京市朝阳区望京街9号望京国际商业中心A座二层
Call 13601315960 or email stephanie@lazyroo.com for more information

Ocean International, the non-descript complex south of Central Park and East of The Place, has seen quite the pick up in dining options lately, with the opening of a Blue Frog and, very soon, the first downtown branch of Wangjing-based Thai restaurant Pak Pak.

The Ocean International branch of Blue Frog is the chain’s fourth in Beijing. Although the new location has been open for a few weeks now (friends say their signature burgers and daily two-for-one happy hour are as good as ever), they are celebrating properly with a grand opening party on December 4. Tickets are RMB 100, which gets you selected drinks and snacks from 6.30-11pm. See the event listing for more details. If their previous parties are anything to go by, this one is sure to be a doozy.

As much as we’re excited about a new Blue Frog, Pak Pak is the opening that’s really got our culinary fires blazing. With its authentic food and stripped back decor, the first branch in Wangjing was an instant hit when it opened in 2013, and we’re sure it will be a hit among CBD office workers seeking a quick and tasty lunch. Bespoke Beijing reports that the Pak Pak teamed traveled to Thailand to source new dishes and ideas for the menu, and that the new location will have a dedicated bar serving southeast Asian influenced cocktails. You can bet you’re life we’ll be there to try those out as soon as it opens.

This post first appeared on thebeijinger.com on November 21, 2014.

Photos: via thebeijinger.com

Located in Shangdu Soho, new bakery Umassif plays to the cosmopolitan tastes of the well-healed CBD crowd with a dazzling array of breads combining global flavors. Although Umassif initially seems more in the style of a Chinese bakery – you select the breads yourself, piling them high on a tray, before taking them to the counter to be packaged – the sleek modern industrial décor and hardwood tables give away their global ambitions.

What Umassif peddles is not your average loaf of sliced white; these are breads with something to say. The piquant Hollandaise Sauce, Mustard and Bacon Roll (RMB 22) is just begging to be served with a Bloody Mary at your next brunch. The Honey Multigrain Pineapple Roll (RMB 28), with its secret swirl of cream cheese filling, is the voice in your ear convincing you to cancel your plans and curl up on the couch on Sunday afternoon with a cup of tea and a good book.

The flavors may not be what you’re used to (although you can pick up a plain baguette as well), but step out of your comfort zone and you will be rewarded with a feast of carbs worth the extra hours on the treadmill.

This post first appeared on thebeijnger.com on September 17, 2014.

Strip a dish down to its basic elements and the quality of the ingredients has nowhere to hide. Take pho for example, a seemingly simple bowl of noodle soup. The broth, innocuous at first, must surprise you with its depth. The noodles must be gently yielding, the beef fresher than fresh. The finishing flourish of herbs and lime must bring the soup to life in the last moments before its conception.

The name Pho Laboratory seems apt, then, since the team has clearly spent a long time analyzing this dish. Order their pho dac biet (beef pho, small RMB 50, large RMB 60) and you will be rewarded with undulating, rare slices of imported sirloin that give way to reveal a beef knuckle broth simmered for 12 hours. Be sure to shell out the extra RMB 10 for a more satisfying portion of meat. Sriracha fans will be glad to see a familiar rooster-clad bottle gracing the tables.

If you can tear yourself away from the pho long enough to consider the rest of the short menu, a barbecue pork banh mi (RMB 40) suffers a little from a ratio of too little meat to too much pickled veg, but is redeemed by an irresistibly chewy baguette, baked in-house every morning. Homemade cookies and brownies (RMB 20) may tempt, but you would do better to linger over a Vietnamese coffee, pre-sweetened with condensed milk, and dream of a tropical breeze over Halong Bay.

The Pho Laboratory
Daily 11.30am-11pm. Opposite 12 Xinzhong Jie, Dongcheng District (151 1000 4814)
东城区新中街乙12号对面
700m northeast of Dongsishitiao station (Line 2)

This post first appeared on thebeijinger.com on July 11, 2014.

Photos courtesy of thebeijinger.com